Born of Two Worlds: An A Jedi in Azeroth Tale
by Ragingcyclone
Summary: After quite a few requests I have begun this story into one of the characters of the A Jedi in Azeroth trilogy, Illiana. Since I already have a detailed outline of her background from when I introduced her in Legacies, writing a story about her seems only natural. This story explores her past and the source of her self hatred until she meets the ghost of her father in Desolace.
1. Prelude

**_Born of Two Worlds_**

An_ A Jedi in Azeroth_ Tale

**Prelude**

_Peace is a lie, there is only passion_

_Through passion, I gain strength_

_Through strength, I gain power_

_Through power, I gain victory_

_Through victory, my chains are broken_

_The Force shall free me_

_-The Sith Code_

Thirteen hundred years ago, the demon lord Sargeras searched the cosmos for a species desperate for salvation yet powerful enough to lead his Burning Legion against the inhabitants of the world called Azeroth. In a distant galaxy and on a small glacial planet he found a race of red skinned beings powerful in a thing they called the Force and hiding from a foe that sought their extermination. Yearning to learn what drove these beings, Sargeras invaded the mind of one of the most powerful and learned of their past. They called themselves sith and delved into the darkest recesses of their Force using their power and knowledge to create monstrosities to drive fear into their opponents and subjects with mutations that spread disease, sickness, and death. Most interesting of these to the demon lord was something called the Rakghoul Plague. The disease spread across a population with such precision that entire cities and worlds had fallen to the plague, and surprisingly the result was not death but a mutation into creatures subjugated to the will of the master who created it. These rakghouls held no personal desire or recollection of their formal selves. The new minions wreaked havoc and destruction as they fed and multiplied with no other purpose in their existence beyond what their master desired, and they retained their previous abilities without the entanglement of memory or remorse. If he could convince these sith to replicate this work on his behalf he could conquer worlds and then whole galaxies with ease using these unrelenting creatures. Each new world would fall to his will and bolster the Burning Legion by unimaginable numbers. No more ambitious lieutenants that could fail as they had against the world of Azeroth. Rakghouls were mindless creatures and would be entirely under his control and they would _not_ fail. However, the secret to creating this plague and thus a new army existed solely with the sith, and Sargeras desired what they possessed.

Before discarding the husk of the man whose mind he invaded, Sargeras also learned that they were fleeing an enemy called jedi that sought the extermination of all sith. That fear of these jedi was the key to gaining their trust, and when he approached their leader, Varok, the demon lord presented his offer of their salvation. He promised the sith lord to remove his people from the glacial world and take them to a place the jedi would never find them. In return he asked only that they replicate the work of one of their own, a man named Karness Muur. Varok agreed to the demon lord's offer wholeheartedly as any chance to find safety from the encroaching jedi appealed to him. To seal the deal Sargeras demanded that a significant number of those sith living on the ice world drink of his blood. Three thousand sith lived on this world called Alzoc and twenty-five hundred drank of Sargeras' blood. Their skin turned green and their hunger for power grew as did their connection to the dark side of the Force. However, upon arrival on Azeroth the sith immediately faltered in their promise to Sargeras. The sith enhanced their power from strong negative emotions, and the heightened connection to those emotions drove those with green skin insane as the world they arrived on was riddled with conflict and strife. They lingered in places fraught with war, disease, and famine like drug addicts forsaking all else to feed their hunger. Those with red skin tried in earnest to fulfill their oath to Sargeras, but they too failed the demon lord. In disgust Sargeras left them to their own devices judging them unworthy of even the worst punishment he could imagine. On their own the sith resorted to what they were doing when Sargeras first discovered them…they hid. Their lifespan unexpectedly was expanded by a factor of ten on this new world and after a few centuries those with green skin warred with those with red and always in the shadows where none of Azeroth's natives would ever discover them. For thirteen hundred years they lived in secret until finally a jedi appeared on Azeroth, and by then only a handful of the sith remained including Varok. A few years after the jedi's arrival none of the sith lived that Sargeras brought to this planet, but in some dark recesses of the world their legacy remained.

One of those sith lords took a native elven woman and produced a child. Lord Narcis, nearing the end of his long life, found the quel'dorei woman Raeva whom he loved and desired in a certain fashion. From their union she bore a daughter, but because of the secretive nature of Narcis and his schemes he convinced Raeva to take their child far to the north to be raised and trained by another sith lord named Drakus. At first she remained skeptical of the danger, but using the powers of the Force Narcis drove fear into her heart to the point that she trekked across half the world to bring her child to what she believed was a safe haven. Unbeknownst to her, however, was that Drakus despised all non-sith seeing them as inferior and unworthy of his presence. Honor bound to Narcis, the dark lord of the sith accepted the girl-child to raise in the ways of their race, but never accepting her as the last of their kind on Azeroth. That child grew into a woman of immense power and of mixed blood…elven and sith. A woman born of two worlds yet torn between them. Her name is Illiana, a jedi knight in the new order on Azeroth…a jedi order that faced and stopped an invasion by the very same demon lord who brought her father's people to this world…and this is her tale.


	2. Illiana the Jedi

**Part One: Illiana the Jedi**

_There is no emotion, there is peace_

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge_

_There is no passion, there is serenity_

_There is no chaos, there is harmony_

_There is no death, there is the Force_

_-The Jedi Code_

Located in a secluded mountain crevice in Dragonblight was a tall and massive tree, but no ordinary one. Planted as a seed by the Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage and enchanted by druidic magic to grow to the same height as the mountain beside it within a day, this tree was home to the jedi order established on the world of Azeroth by the grand master, Daneel. Kaldorei labored for months to hollow sections of the trunk into rooms for the new jedi order from the ground level to very near the top. At present the order numbered only fourteen; miraluka Daneel and sin'dorei Demira the founding leaders of the order, draenei Kitali and orc Zharn the shaman couple who began the order with the founders, human Celeste and orc Grogg who were two of the first of hopefully many padawans, Kai'moira the chiss master healer, Kuro the black dragon, zabrak Olivaw and tauren Cheyuun who led the armies of the jedi allies when the order was helping others across the world, Windi Weathergear who was a gnome of almost unmatched technical prowess, kaldorei Adaria who was the newest padawan to the grand master, Raeva the quel'dorei and her daughter…Illiana…half elf and half sith and the only known hybrid amongst the members of the jedi.

This morning marked nearly six months since the jedi faced off with the Burning Legion in Desolace. Illiana, wearing traditionally conservative brown jedi robes and her mid-back length black hair in a ponytail, prepared a small breakfast of fruits and berries in the communal dining area of the main level. She placed the prepared meals on a platter set upon the countertop that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room. While normally she lived in the temple with her mother, Olivaw, Cheyuun, Celeste, Grogg, and Adaria; most were away to other parts of Azeroth preparing for when the Burning Legion would return. In Darnassus Olivaw negotiated with several members of the Alliance while in Orgrimmar Cheyuun spoke with the Horde. Both men hoped to garner assurances that when the demons reappeared that both factions would lend their support to protecting their world. Grogg was in Outland with his new master, Kai'moira, for the past five months as they worked closely with healers there to better understand ailments deriving from demonic sources. The Burning Legion still had a strong presence in the remnants of the orc and draenei homeworld, and the jedi master felt it was the perfect place for her to learn more of the demons and the plagues they unleashed as they tried to conquer world after world. Celeste joined them but in a more diplomatic role as she spoke with both the Aldor and Scryer organizations. She hoped that her past as a mage might help them listen to her as she attempted to broker a peace between them, but last Illiana knew those talks were still unsuccessful. Mages could be extremely valuable in future conflicts with the Burning Legion, and these two groups had more experience fighting demons than most. A peace accord between them could mean a quicker response to the Burning Legion's return which the jedi felt would be sooner than most expected. This was a belief that Daneel had shared with Tyrande Whisperwind, the High Priestess of Elune and leader of the Kaldorei, before leaving Darnassus after the battle with the Burning Legion and then departing for the Eastern Kingdoms with Adaria. Rumors had reached the night elves of a strange fortress discovered by human adventurers in the Arathi Highlands just north of Northfield Manor. Within the fortress they discovered unnerving statues depicting beings never seen before, but to the miraluka jedi they were all too familiar.

As the elven and sith jedi walked towards the winding staircase that led to the higher levels of the jedi temple, she contemplated on where other members of the jedi order strived to prepare the world for the next incursion of the demonic legion. Windi still resided in the old Titan fortress that housed the massive drill pointed to the center of the planet. Its movements, once towards the anomaly that brought Olivaw and Kai'moira to Azeroth and then again with the opening of the portal in Desolace, served as a possible warning device for when the Burning Legion returned. The gnome's diligence proved vital for the jedi's quick and decisive movements towards Desolace and thwarting Sargeras' plans to invade their world for a third time. Kuro spent most of her time with either the other dragon flights or with the kaldorei and draenei. Much of the world still feared and hated black dragons and for the most part believed the black dragon race extinct. When Deathwing was defeated and slain by the other flights, all but two black dragons were known to have perished and only one of those was known to the majority of the world's populace. For her safety Kuro remained with those who knew her and where she could remain in her natural dragon form. Even when she walked in her mortal human form she avoided the Eastern Kingdoms and areas outside the influence of the night elves and draenei for the danger that she would be recognized as a dragon was still a strong possibility especially amongst mages. Kuro would check in with the order at least once a week using her holocommunicator which all jedi and a few select individuals outside the order possessed. Demira, Kitali, and Zharn remained in the valley of the giant tree and in their homes which were built in equal distances from the colossus that served as the main jedi temple.

Illiana walked past the second level to the third where her mother's room was located. Raeva had been a handmaiden to the old queen Azshara when the Burning Legion began their first attempted invasion of Azeroth. She was over ten thousand years old when she conceived Illiana which is considered extremely old even by quel'dorei standards. Like other highborne elves, she eventually lost her violet skin tone for the more pale and pinkish one of the modern quel'dorei but still maintained her youthful appearance until recently. Illiana turned the corner to enter her mother's room and tried to hide the wince when she saw Raeva. Her normally vibrant red hair had turned almost pure white since her injuries in Desolace, and the smooth skin of her face now had wrinkles near the corners of her eyes and mouth. Amongst the humans she would appear middle-aged, but for an elf Raeva's countenance bore the evidence of her extremely long life. In her youth she had used a magical spell to prolong her youthful appearance which also led to her living long past the years when most other high elves grew old and died of natural causes. That spell was broken when Grogg used the Force to heal the cells in her body that had been mutated in a demonic attack. Both mother and daughter knew the result of the healer's miraculous work…Raeva was dying. When the orc first learned of the consequence of his healing of the elder elf, he prostrated before her begging for forgiveness, but Raeva lifted the man's chin and smiled as she told him there was nothing to forgive. He had saved her life and given her more time to spend with her daughter which to her was more valuable than the spell she created millennia ago in a vain attempt to cheat aging and ultimately death. That resolution in her mother gave Illiana some solace and a firmer belief in the last tenet of the jedi code, but every time she gazed upon her mother she felt a pang in her chest knowing that soon even that joy would come to an end.

Upon spotting her daughter in the threshold of the doorway, Raeva sat straighter in her bed and set the covers around her waist. "Every day I have to tell you to wipe that gloomy look off your face," she teased. "Just hope that you look this good when you reach my age."

"Mother."

"Don't _mother_ me, child," Raeva laughed as her daughter walked across the room and placed the setting in her lap. Illiana then grabbed the same chair she did every morning and sat next to her mother's bed. "No one ever truly lives forever…not even the dragons it seems." She smiled as she handed the jedi a piece of fruit. "I've lived a long and eventful life. When I do pass from this world I will die a very happy and blessed woman."

"You say that every day," Illiana replied. "I know that not all of your life has been happy…"

"All the more _you_ should understand that I mean it. True that there were times in my life when things weren't going my way, but here I am talking to my only child…a woman grown and doing the sort of things that I wished I had done with my life." She reached over and grasped the jedi's hand. "I am very proud of you, Illiana, and what you have become…I am very happy."

"I just wish we had more time, mother," the jedi replied. "All those years growing up wondering why you and father gave me up, and when I did gain my freedom and found you I learned that you were looking for me and loved me…in a way it made all of those bad times of my youth dissolve…and now that we have a time with some modicum of peace all I want is to spend it with you to make up for those lost years… "

"We could never make up for those lost years, but we can cherish the time we do have left together if even for just a short while." Illiana looked up into the smiling face of her mother and her mouth opened to speak, but Raeva cut her off. "Yes…I only have a few days left…I can feel it…one of the benefits of Grogg's healing is a deeper connection to the Force…and I can sense that my time is near."

Illiana leaned forward in her chair and embraced her mother. "No…it's too soon!" Raeva ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "I have no family left when you are gone."

"You have a great family here after I pass on, Illiana," her mother answered, but the jedi did not look up from her embrace. "Demira and Daneel…they've gone through this and will be there for you…Kitali has too…and there is Ollie. He gave up his old life because he loves and cares for you. Sure he's rough around the edges and a little brash at times, but he'll do anything for you and that speaks volumes. The rest of them too…you have a great family here." She kissed her daughter's head. "You'll be fine. If things do seem to get too bleak just trust in the code…"

"Don't tell me that there is no death…Master Dorak said the same thing before he died," Illiana said between sobs. "It still hurt when he was gone."

"If it didn't hurt I would be worried," Raeva said trying to add some levity to her voice. "The hurt shows that you care and there is no way to avoid it…I can't help with that though I wish I could. But you are a strong woman and I know you'll be fine. The others will help you as they always have and everything will be fine." She lifted Illiana's chin forcing her daughter to look up into her face with tear stained but deep blue eyes. "There's just one thing I want you to do for me after I am gone."

"Anything."

"I will be buried at the top of the mountain…this has already been arranged. What I want is for you to bring your father's remains from that horrible place in Silithus and bury them next to me." Illiana's gaze lowered to center on her mother's chin. "I know what you have told me about seeing his ghost, Illiana, and you have found a peace within that you never had before. But there is still some of that hatred buried deep inside…perhaps learning more about the man I came to love will help you understand why I loved him and maybe a little more about where you come from…at least from your father's side."

"I know all about the sith…" the jedi began.

"You know the fallacies that Drakus told you," Raeva countered. "I want you to know the real man that was your father and not his crony's lies. I want you to know the man who made that message for you so that you could find peace…the good and the bad. The man who, in the end, loved you enough to try and warn you of the dangers of walking the dark path as he did." Illiana looked back into her mother's eyes. "You are like no other on this world, my child. Part elf and part sith and yet torn between them. My hope is in that taking this journey that I am asking and relying on the Force to guide you that you can find that final bit of inner peace that eradicates the anger deep inside."

* * *

High winds whipped through the jedi's hair as she stood stoically looking at the marker of her mother's grave. Three days after Raeva had asked her daughter to journey to the south to retrieve her father's remains, the elder elf died in her sleep during the night. For two weeks Illiana trekked up the mountain to visit her mother's final resting place and contemplated her request. For most of her life she nurtured a hatred for the man who was her father and used it to fuel her power until she met the jedi grand master. After Daneel freed her mind from the control of the Avatar of the Old God N'Zoth, Illiana struggled daily to control her anger. It was in Desolace that she finally found the last bit of closure, or so she thought when she activated the blade of her father. His ghost appeared in a moment frozen in time and revealed to her things she never thought possible from the same sith lord who had forced her mother to trek from Silithus to Northrend and abandon her to the guardianship of a vile and cruel man, Drakus. The fact that he called her his elven daughter and used her elven name brought a peace to Illiana's mind she hadn't imagined possible, but her mother was right…part of that anger still remained buried deep in her soul. Raeva was also right in that Demira and Kitali would be there for her as she grieved. Demira's family had been killed during the Scourge, and Kitali's family was decimated in the war between the orcs and draenei long ago on what was now called Outland. Their support proved beneficial as Zharn and several visiting kaldorei placed her mother's seemingly peaceful body into the crypt and then placed the cover over the tomb. The night elves even performed kaldorei rites as Raeva was laid to rest, something almost unheard of after the schism between the high elves and night elves millennia ago. There is no death, there is the Force…the last tenet of the jedi code and yet it brought no solace that day to Illiana's heart. Standing now two weeks later and still she could not resolve its logic in her mind…death was death and she would never see her mother again. Raeva was peaceful at the end unlike her father who harbored regrets. She left no holocron like Drakus, no holovid recording of her last days, nothing to indicate she had ever lived and yet the jedi could almost hear her mother's voice in the wind. She reached up and wiped a tear from her eye as memories of the past two years ran through her mind.

"How are you holding up, Illiana?" a woman said behind her. The jedi turned half expecting to see the apparition of her mother, but walking towards her was Demira. The mage was almost a decade older than her and yet both appeared quite young. In elven terms that decade difference in their age meant very little since their race lived for centuries and sometimes millennia like her mother. In contrast to Illiana's black robes she wore this day, the mage sported red robes with a white undershirt. Demira's long raven hair blew in the wind as she stopped walking just feet from Illiana. A warm smile crossed her lips and green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. She looked past the elven jedi at the marker to Raeva's grave. At the base of the marker were five fire red flowers. "Looks like one of the red dragonflight must have paid their respects during the night."

"It was Alexstrasza and Ysera," the jedi answered as she turned to look back at the flowers. "She waved as they flew out of the valley and I think she smiled. It's too hard to tell for certain, though. I still can't read their expressions very well when they are in their natural form." She looked back at the mage who was still smiling. "As for how I am doing…I'm doing well, I suppose," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"And what of her last wish for you?" Demira asked as Illiana turned back to looking at her mother's grave. "Have you made a decision?" She waited a moment for the jedi to answer, but the other elf simply gazed at the grave. "Illiana…are you going south like she asked?" After another minute she turned to face the mage. Illiana's deep blue eyes were stained red from tears as some fell down her smooth cheeks. "Illiana?"

"I will do as mother asked," the jedi began, "it's just that I have not been to that place in years…that dark place. I know…I know that I have made some peace with my father after seeing his ghost," she said as the mage nodded understanding. "But I don't know if I am strong enough to return to that place and still resist the pull of the dark side." She turned back to look at the grave and knelt before the marker.

"When was the last time you were there? I didn't know you had ever visited your father's tomb."

"It was just before the rest of you were facing the terentateks in Ashenvale…when mother was in dwarven lands," Illiana answered not looking back. Demira could see from the movement of her arms that the jedi was wringing her hands as she spoke. "After I killed Drakus…I searched for my parents…I wanted to know why…that search led me to Silithus, but not before father had died and the others left on their mission to…" she hesitated before turning her head to look in Demira's direction. "That place is strong in the dark side…I know you know that…but back then so was I…now, however…I am afraid to return there. What if I haven't really moved past those feelings I had when I was last there? What if that hatred returns?"

"Don't make me quote the Litany of Fear," Demira teased, and for a second the jedi released a small chuckle. "I didn't realize just how painstaking a task your mother asked you to undertake. If you want…I can come with you. Perhaps some company would help ease that stress you are feeling and lessen the fear you have of that place…act as your anchor to the light. You're right…I know how dark that place is…"

"I'd actually welcome your company, Demira," she interrupted.

The mage smiled as she walked up behind the jedi and placed a hand on her shoulder. Illiana reached back with her own hand. "Any time you are ready I can open a portal to the entrance."

An hour later the two women emerged from a portal before the entrance of a dark and ominous cave at the base of a mountain in Silithus. As it had been two years before, the area surrounding the mountain was void of life for a thousand yards in every direction. Both elves pulled their robes tight around them as the coldness of the dark side of the Force chilled them. Silently they entered the cave's opening, and once inside Illiana pulled a small device and triggered an activation switch on its side. The small metal cylinder's ends and opposing side brightened to illuminate their immediate surroundings. The rock walls of the cave appeared dry and formed naturally with uneven sides and a sloped ceiling. The dirt floor was covered from one end to the other by bones of various creatures. Some showed signs of having been gnawed upon by a large predator, but the terentateks that were created here were destroyed years before. As the two women proceeded further into the cave, the bones cracked and broke under their steps filling the eerie room with loud crunching sounds. Just out of range of the light Illiana knew was a doorway leading further into the mountain. For the second time in her life she found herself in the dark cave that had been the home of her father in his final years. After gaining her freedom from Drakus, the jedi journeyed to this place to meet her father, but by the time she arrived he had long been dead. When they reached the far end and the doorway, she stopped and faced Demira.

"You've been here before? I mean in this cave?" she asked the mage.

"Not inside," Demira replied looking though the doorway into the darkness beyond. Elves possessed heightened eyesight and especially in dark places compared to many other races on Azeroth, but even in this cave she was struggling to see beyond the light coming from the jedi's device. "Daneel and Alexstrasza investigated this place while I stayed outside and tended to Kuro's wounds."

"Father's sarcophagus is just a little further inside in a large room, and the last time I was here that was as far as I explored. I do know that this was a facility like the one I grew up in…even before you were last here and discovered much the same. After what Master Daneel and the Life Binder found here, I don't see any reason to explore further in this time either…just as far as Narcis' tomb."

Demira nodded as she followed the jedi further in along a wide corridor. Lining the sides were more doorways to other rooms, but Illiana never paused before any as she continued walking deeper into the mountain. Here the walls were smoother with just a hint of metallic glint under the dust and grit that had wafted into the cave over the years. The air was cold and stale and worsened the further they walked making their breathing slightly labored. After about a hundred yards the hallway exited into a large room that reminded Demira of the throne in the Northrend fortress where they found the decayed corpse of Drakus two years ago. In the center was a statue of a man wearing elaborate robes and tendrils on his face and before it was a sarcophagus. Illiana stopped at the foot of the grave while the mage continued towards the statue. The face may have been detailed at one time, but Demira could see scorching that had damaged some of the finer details. She looked back at the jedi.

"I was a much angrier person the last time I was here," was the only answer Illiana would give. With a nod she continued, "Mother had that made when Father died. Thera'gon claimed credit because he thought it would give him stature with Queen Azshara, but that old woman couldn't care less about the sith or what they had to offer. They were a means to an end and that end was to regain her rule over the world. I think…I think Mother…when Narcis died she began to care less about the old world and more about what had happened to me…she never said so much but I could tell in the way she talked about those times…she was tired of their schemes after Father died."

"Why did she continue with them? I know she took one of those creatures to the Eastern Kingdoms as her part of their plans, but if she wasn't interested any more then why carry them out for as long as she did?"

"Because they were already past a point of no return, or so she thought," Illiana answered as she lowered her hands towards her father's coffin. "I think also in part because it was the last thing she was doing with Narcis and continued because of his memory. She never really told me." Her right hand touched the stone of the sarcophagus, and with a jolt she collapsed to the floor. Demira cried out as she tried to catch the jedi, and cradled her in her arms for a moment before Illiana opened her eyes.

"Are you ok? What happened?" the mage asked. Illiana looked up at her with bewilderment in her eyes. "Illiana?"

"I've seen…I've seen everything."

"Seen what?"

Illiana smiled as she looked back at the sarcophagus of her father…of Narcis. "The Force has shown me everything." She looked back at Demira. "I've seen my father…in this very room…when he was alive…I know now what I have always wanted to know…why!"


	3. Lord Narcis

**Part Two: Lord Narcis**

_"Where was a being like me supposed to go? No one on this world has red skin like I…there was no safe haven to escape to with both of you in tow. Thera'gon's jealousy would have meant your death…or a fate worse than any Drakus could have given you. I chose the lesser of two evils."_

_ -The Ghost of Narcis speaking to Illiana_

The man sat at a table with his chin resting on steepled hands. The three inch long tendrils of his cheeks twitched as he examined a holographic map of the world of Azeroth. Narcis, dark lord of the sith and one of only a remaining few pureblood sith on this world after thirteen centuries, lived in fear for only the second time in his extremely long life. In a room on a level below him his child was coming into this world, and the sith worried about its fate. At present two of his fellow schemers travelled in other parts of the world, but should either of the elves, Thera'gon or Malfus, return and discover his offspring, they would kill it and Narcis could not allow that to happen. They desired a return to their old lives of ten millennia ago and the rise of their old queen. Narcis' child would be construed as a distraction to their plans to make these things occur, and they would remove any distraction to their cause. Narcis needed to take measures to ensure her safety. As far as he knew, that little being would be the last of his kind in the entire universe and its countless galaxies…it was the future of the sith species. He looked down at his hands, hands with four fingers, and thought back upon the time when humans first discovered the ancient sith on Korriban millennia ago. Those humans were expelled from the jedi order because they followed the dark side of the Force. They found the sith, a race of red skinned beings with three fingers on each hand, and declared themselves Dark Lords of the Sith. To ensure their legacy they alchemically interbred with the native sith and the result was a race of purebloods like him. His progeny would continue that legacy as the sith bloodlines would endure with it. His four fingered hands were a departure from the origin of their species, and like him his child would exhibit similar if even more drastic departures from the original species, but the blood in its veins would still be sith. It would be their legacy and salvation. Drakus, his former apprentice, would never try something so desperate, but these were dire times for their species because extinction was no viable option in Narcis' mind.

With a single thought empowered by the Force, the sith lord deactivated the holographic map. Thera'gon and Malfus were still on the other side of the world and even with the best technology available would not return for at least another month. Narcis sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he reflected on the two elves. Thirty years ago Narcis met Thera'gon in the dead zone outside the cave entrance that led to the underground fortress the sith called home. The high elf mage came looking for clues to the whereabouts of his long lost queen from millennia ago, and their first interaction was a duel that lasted the better part of a day. Their battle stalemated, the elf acquiesced to Narcis with a desire to learn of the power the sith wielded that seemed impervious to the arcane spells the mage cast during their conflict. Unbeknownst to the quel'dorei, their meeting was not one of chance but a calculated encounter that had taken over a century to procure. Thera'gon's queen, Azshara, was a being that had saved Narcis and Drakus from death over four hundred years before, and in payment for their lives, the old queen hatched a scheme with the two sith to win back her throne. The mage was so devoted to his former ruler that he eagerly studied under Narcis and plotted with him to return Azshara to her rule. However, as Narcis grew weaker, the mage grew stronger and more determined than ever to succeed in his desire to please the old queen. Any distraction or deviation from that or by anyone, including Narcis, was an affront to Thera'gon…like the birth of the child in the lower levels happening at this very moment. The old sith lord needed to protect his progeny, but he was growing weaker as age wracked his body and another conflict with the elf would result in both his and his child's deaths. Thera'gon must never learn of the child or of Narcis' plans for the future of his race. Azshara's plans be damned…Narcis' child would survive and carry on the sith legacy.

Since joining him in this mountain fortress the former mage recruited two others to their cause. One was the elven woman, Raeva, who was the mother of Narcis' child. The other, Malfus, had only recently joined them in the past six months, but the quel'dorei learned the ways of the Force quickly. His hunger for power was matched only by his narcissism and desire for self indulgence and while both were typical sith traits on this world they could prove detrimental. Already Narcis had to intervene when he caught the man fraternizing with the female slaves kept in the lower levels of the compound. The elf would promise them a chance at freedom, something their likes had not seen in centuries, just for a night's dalliance and physical debauchery. Such fantasies caused lapses in their work and only just that morning he had to punish one for her attempt at escape to find the man despite his absence for the past two months. Such disruptive acts were intolerable to the sith lord. When Malfus returned he would have to teach the impetuous elf a small lesson. Perhaps his favorite pet would serve as a prime example of the importance of their work as Malfus was forced to mutate her into something more…applicable…to their plans. The first stages of transformation from kaldorei to terentatek had already begun after Narcis' punishment.

Raeva…Narcis' thoughts began to drift towards her and the birthing happening below. Try as he might he could not control the feelings he felt for the woman and their child. Love was a weakness, but no matter what diversions he imagined or the sith teachings he intoned over and again against the emotion, in her presence he was enamored with her. Neither Thera'gon nor Malfus knew of his feelings towards her or those she reciprocated, and so far that proved a small blessing. As much danger as he and his child faced should either discover their secret, Raeva also shared their fate should the elves learn of the child and the romance between the parents over the past few years. Keeping the secret became especially hard once her pregnancy started showing, so Narcis sent both men on numerous missions far and away from their fortress. The sith lord sighed deeply and closed his eyes as he contemplated what he knew he needed to do next. He already deduced that abandoning everything and finding a small place of seclusion for the three of them would be impossible. None of the native races had red skin like a sith, and although he hid and kept his existence a secret for this long, he doubted he could do so with a woman and child with him. No…he would have to send one or both away. It would mean either never seeing his child or both ever again, but such was the price for his weakness. Even if Raeva remained, he could never show his love for her or to her ever again; to do so would mean the possible discovery of his child and that was a danger he would never impose on his offspring. Only one person remained on this world that he could trust, and even that prospect sent chills down his spine. Drakus may have been his apprentice at one time, but thirteen hundred years as a lord changed a person. Could he convince the other pureblood to harbor his child with or without his love despite the man's ethnocentric view? He opened his eyes at the small knock on the door behind him.

"My lord…you have a daughter," a woman's voice said behind him.

Narcis nodded his response without looking back, and sighed again as he heard the creak of the door closing. A daughter. Sending her to Drakus now seemed even more perplexing, but what was he to do? Suddenly in his mind there remained only one option to save his daughter…_his daughter_…knowing the child's gender now made the decision even harder. Why a daughter? And why did his next action seem so daunting? After a few more minutes he reached forward and activated the switch on the side of the device that had projected the map of Azeroth. After a few beeps a three dimensional and colorless image appeared of a man dressed in elaborate robes with spikes along the shoulder pouldrons and a helm with two large horns sprouting from the sides which was a stark contrast to the simple black robes worn by Narcis. Three long scars ran from his forehead, across his left eye, and down to his jaw serving as a reminder of the first creature that he had killed and the lesson learned not to take any opponent lightly. Drakus. With a sneer the image bowed to him.

"Lord Narcis…this is a surprise," the image said.

"Drakus," Narcis replied.

"To what honor am I deserving of your audience, my old master?" The image straightened and crossed its arms over its chest while still wearing the sneer on its helmed visage. Despite the pleasantries an animosity had grown between the two men, but their relations remained civil for one overriding reason that Narcis was fully prepared to take advantage of..one his former apprentice could not refuse. "Still playing with the locals?" the image of Drakus continued mockingly.

"I have…a situation…that I need your assistance with," he said.

"What kind of assistance? I do hope there is nothing so dire that you need me right away, my old master. You are far in the south and with the backwards technology on this planet it would take me at least several days to reach you all the way down there."

"Nothing that requires you to come to me, Drakus."

"Why don't you ever call me _Lord_ Drakus? It was, after all, you that bestowed that title upon me. Surely you acknowledged my greatness? I mean…if you are asking me for assistance…then surely you…"

"Stop blabbering," Narcis sighed. "Those old titles mean nothing anymore."

The image of Drakus brought a three fingered hand up to stroke a chin with one large yet flat and pointed tendril that almost resembled a goatee on other species like humans. "If we forget such things, _Lord_ Narcis, then we forget who and what we are. Sith are the perfect manifestation of the Force…you taught me that. We should also strive to remember that especially now when only a few of us remain. Pride until the end…that is the sith way."

"I have ensured that our end will not come so soon," Narcis answered.

"You did it! You mated with one of these…these…beasts!" Drakus spat as he pointed towards Narcis. Were they in the same room the peace between them may have ended. "Of course you would not hesitate to commit such a heinous act. Your blood is not so pure!"

"You are no pure sith yourself, Drakus!" He replied to the image as he glanced down at the four fingers of his right hand. "There are no absolute pure sith any more…not since the rule of Ajunta Pall…so do not preach to me about the purity of bloodlines!"

"Does your abomination bear any of the marks?" the image shouted. "Does it even resemble us?"

"No," Narcis answered though he didn't know the true answer. He had used dark side alchemy earlier in Raeva's pregnancy to ensure that their child would exhibit elven traits to better live on this world, but he also had thought the child would be male and not female. He really did not know the answer to Drakus' questions. "But sith blood flows in her veins…and that is sufficient. Our kind will live on in her."

"A girl child? A creature that I suppose you want me to…what? Raise? Train in our ways?"

"I would not presume…" Narcis started to lie.

"Why else would you call me? But before you even have the gall to ask I will answer…and that answer is no."

"You owe me."

"I owe you nothing!"

"You owe me your life!" Narcis shouted without raising his voice. "You have brought it up so I will remind you…_I_ made you a lord so that you could avoid taking the demon blood and become a _green_…I spared your very existence to remain as _pure_ a sith as you are…you are indebted to me…and you _will_ pay me what is owed…with _her_ life."

"Send the child to Varok. He's been pining for centuries over the loss of his own daughter. Perhaps he would be eager to raise yours."

"And have her dissected?" Narcis scoffed. "The feeble old man can live with his clones. You will harbor my daughter. You will train her and…"

"I refuse!" shouted the image of Drakus.

"You will train her and protect her," Narcis continued. It was clear to the sith lord that old honors were hard to press with Drakus, but there was another option that haunted all red skinned sith on this world. It was one that held close connections to those cursed sith with green skin…the mad ones. "Or I will reveal your secret location to the night elf offspring of Maktai. She greatly desires a lightsaber of her own and has already shown that she will stop at nothing to get one. There is even word that she colludes with…_greens_. Perhaps…perhaps I can enlighten her about your location…and the secrets you harbor at that base…"

"You're bluffing," the image replied. "If you approach her then you would reveal yourself as well. What of your precious abomination of a child?"

"Desperate men will do desperate things, Drakus," the old sith answered. "Surely you have not forgotten what happened over Korriban? How desperate we were…and the circumstances that brought us to this planet?" He studied the image as Drakus brought his three fingered hand back to his chin. The woman he mentioned was half their kind and half native, but she was also very strong in the Force. Centuries ago this threat would hold no merit, but like him Drakus was also getting extremely old and his power also waning. Thera'gon and Malfus combined could not match her strength or power. Neither old sith lord would prove a match for the half-breed night elf should she learn of their existence and the secrets they possessed for she desired power and harbored a dream to rule this world. Narcis controlled several alchemically created beasts, but Drakus lived in the base that warehoused the material wealth of the sith on Azeroth. The gold bullion stashed in the underbelly of that base outnumbered the rest of the gold possessed by this world's inhabitants tenfold. That almost unlimited wealth would give the woman, Tareesha, unimaginable power on this world. That alone should suffice to persuade Drakus notwithstanding her connection to the abominable greens. After a minute, Drakus still had not responded. "I require an answer, my old apprentice," Narcis finally said. "Do you train and protect my daughter, or do we end our existence at the hands of one of these…abominations?"

"Fine," Drakus growled. "Send the brat."

Narcis touched the contact on the holocomm severing the link before Drakus could say more. The weight of his daughter's future should have lessened after securing the sith's agreement to harbor and protect the child, but the burden increased on Narcis. Drakus was too paranoid all alone in his northern fortress to betray him. If only he were just a few decades younger the dread might feel less, but as he looked towards the doorway and the direction of the cries he now heard coming from his newborn daughter, the sith lord realized that he stood at the precipice of what the jedi called a shatterpoint. Make the wrong decision now and the destiny of both his child and his race could end, but already the die was cast with the only remaining obstacle ahead of him. Could he convince Raeva that sending their daughter away to live with Drakus was the best and only solution? Would she understand just how dire their situation was and the danger to their only child? These questions and more ran through his mind as he stood and started walking to the lower level where Raeva held his daughter. Slaves in the corridors bowed with respect and fear as he passed them not saying a word.

Power. Power was the key and he no longer possessed it, or at least not enough to protect the three of them. As he neared the birthing room the cries of the girl grew louder. Narcis had conquered cities and then worlds for Marka Ragnos and later for Naga Sadow, but those had been centuries ago when he was much younger. Only once before had he felt powerless as he did now. Republic and jedi ships decimated their fleet over the skies of Korriban. They shattered Ludo Kressh's fleet within minutes, and then as he watched Naga Sadow's flagship explode in a collision with Republic cruisers, his heart sank in his chest as futility and desperation overtook him. In those hours over his homeworld the dark side left Narcis as the tenets of the sith code no longer held meaning for him. Then as now he questioned the validity of the code as he stopped and gazed at Raeva holding their daughter in her arms. Her elegantly beautiful face, framed by her red locks, seemed to glow as she smiled and cooed at the child wrapped in a white blanket. The bed they laid in sat along the far wall with several tables of medical and birthing equipment aligned to either side. The old tenets said that through power there was strength, but as Narcis saw the child he felt the power of life profoundly much like a jedi would, not a sith. In the past he felt power in holding sway over another's future or in taking a life, but now as he witnessed the miracle of giving life firsthand in his daughter he started to question…what was true power? This little girl held sway over him and his decisions for the past several months and would continue to do so for the rest of his days. That was real power and nothing in the teachings of the sith code ever prepared him for this.

"She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, Narcis," Raeva said to him without looking from the face of her newborn. "Come over here and see our daughter." The old sith lord walked across the room pondering what to say. If he could not convince Raeva the necessity of sending the child away now… These concerns must have been reflected in his expression as Raeva finally looked up at him. The smile she wore waned. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Narcis looked down at the floor to his right as he addressed the slaves in the room. A kaldorei and two human women attended to Raeva and their daughter. "Leave us," he ordered causing them to scurry out of the room. He looked at his lover after they left and used the Force to close the door behind them. Alone with Raeva, he contemplated what to say next.

"Narcis?" she asked as their child stopped crying. He said nothing for a moment as his eyes tracked from her face to the child's and then back to hers. "Narcis…you're scaring me."

"I didn't mean to," he replied with a smile as he sat on the bed next to her and gazed at his daughter. Long pointed elven ears like her mother and black hair, she looked back at him with deep blue eyes that seemed to bore into his soul. Little balled fists, each with five fingers, rested near her chin. "She is beautiful," he finally said. "She looks like you."

"She has your hair," Raeva smiled as she poked a finger into one of the balled fists. "I've wanted this for so long…" She saw the smile on his face wane as she made the last statement. "Something is wrong…isn't there."

"Raeva," he started not taking his eyes off the child. "I'm afraid I have to request something….something I know you will not like."

"What?"

"She can't stay here…" he began.

Raeva freed her finger from her daughter's grasp causing her to cry, and then she slapped the sith lord. "Not much on tact, Narcis," she growled. "Get out!"

"Raeva…"

"I said get out!" she shouted. Narcis stood up and walked towards the door. "How dare you even suggest that we leave!"

The sith lord stopped before the door and turned to face her. She glowered at him as his shoulders slumped. "I cannot protect you from Thera'gon or Malfus once they return…"

"Bullshit!" she spat at him. "Don't use those two as an excuse…if you didn't want a child you should have never slept with me…I should have never slept with you!"

"I do want our child," he replied. "I just…"

"You are a sith lord! If you really care about her…about us…you will protect us…"

"I am too old and weak to do so," he answered.

"You have that," she said pointing at the metal cylinder at his waist. "That weapon makes you more than powerful enough…"

"It is not enough!" he shouted causing the child's crying to intensify. Raeva attempted to placate her daughter while keeping one eye on Narcis. "It is not a magical weapon," he said more calmly. "It is a piece of technology that at present gives me an edge, but that will not last long."

"Even so…I am older than you," she retorted.

"You are not sith, Raeva. I do not age the same as you. I am older than I should be…by centuries…I can no longer protect that which is important to me…so you must leave with our child…it is the only option to keep you both safe."

"And what happens to you once Thera'gon and Malfus discover that I would not be returning?" she asked as the child's crying subsided. He simply looked at her, but his silence spoke volumes. "No," she said shaking her head in denial.

"If my death keeps you safe…then that is necessary," he replied. "What is important is our daughter's safety…for her destiny…for her future…for my people's future."

"Then come with us," she said. "Forget the others…forget the plans…if things are truly so dire…then leave it all behind. We can escape to…"

"Where?" he asked. "Except for a few of us remaining sith…there are no other beings on this world with red skin like mine. Do you truly think we could hide so long?"

"Your people have done a good job of that for over a thousand years."

"That was before…but now…after what we have started here…there are others who would search for me…that would make keeping you safe even harder than if you just left without me."

Raeva looked down at her daughter and then back at Narcis. "You ask too much."

The sith lord returned to sit next to his love on the bed. She wore a worried expression as he approached and it panged him despite that what he felt he knew was a weakness. Once he sat down he placed his finger into his daughter's balled fist as he pleaded with Raeva through his eyes. "I ask because I must…there is no other alternative," he said quietly.

For the next week preparations were made for the mother and daughter's departure to the north and the fortress of Drakus. Raeva continued to try and convince Narcis to join them, but he knew in his heart that to leave would increase the danger, and that was something he could not do. When Raeva left with their daughter, unnamed for her protection, the three slaves present during the child's birth accompanied her under cover of darkness in the middle of the night. During that final week before their departure, he took a blood sample of his daughter and created a holocron that could only be activated by her through confirmation of her DNA. Into this device he poured all of his knowledge along with his hopes and fears. In time she would be old enough to understand why he sent her away as he did, and he hoped that some day he might see her again. This holocron, however, would not be the only legacy he would leave for his daughter. In all likelihood he would never see her, so for the rest of his days he would leave more for her to learn from and hoped that she would find them. All would carry the same DNA encryption as this first holocron. Only his daughter would discover the knowledge and gifts inside…only she would know what he truly desired both for her and for their race. As he watched the four women disappear into the darkness his hand drifted to the hilt of the lightsaber at his waist. It would be the last of these gifts he would leave for his only child, and in his final days he already planned to leave a part of himself…his essence…inside the weapon so that when she activated the crimson blade he would see her at least once before becoming one with the Force…another jedi belief he failed to purge from his mind because of his daughter.

The morning after their departure, Narcis stalked the halls of the Silithus fortress after closing all of the doors within. Room after room he used his lightsaber and the Force to kill all of the slaves. Cries of anguish and horror echoed throughout the facility as the sith lord carried out his gruesome mission. Some slaves huddled together in the corners of their rooms trying their best to protect their children, but Narcis slew all without hesitation or remorse. The secret of his daughter's existence must remain intact, and with their deaths only he, Raeva, Drakus, and the three slaves with them would know…and Drakus would dispose of those slaves once Raeva and his daughter arrived in Northrend. No witnesses. No chances. Thera'gon and Malfus, along with many others on this world, must never learn of his daughter's existence or her impact upon the survival of the sith race. As he looked into the eyes of a small elven child lying helpless next to his dead mother, Narcis…dark lord of the sith…purged all emotion from his mind as he brought the crimson blade of pure energy down into the boy's body and ended his life. It was just one more necessary act of protection for his daughter.


End file.
